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Ashley Bothwell wears many hats. She was a child actress in the 1980s, holds a television production degree, has been working as a self-taught graphic designer for nearly 10 years, and is on her way to becoming a certified yoga instructor with her very own home-based Atlanta studio.

In her 1940s Cape Cod-style bungalow, the 34'1x15'1 top-floor area was an unusable, uninsulated attic covered in dark paneling. "There was absolutely no way I could have used the attic in its existing state to instruct yoga, inner peace and relaxation," says Ashley. "In fact, the space would have encouraged stress and claustrophobia, the opposite of yoga."

Ashley planned to address the following with a $7,500 budget and four week timeline.

Replace damaged nail-down wood floors with floating ebonized wood

Lighten the space with white washed pine walls

Add a skylight

Create a feeling of serenity with a light and airy paint color

Designate one space for reading and another for instructing yoga

Install pendant lights

Add an air conditioning unit

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BEFORE

BEFORE

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AFTER

Photo by: Photographer: Christina Wedge

Photographer: Christina Wedge

AFTER

Like many renovations, this one didn't start well. "On the first day, it was so exciting to see progress happen almost by the minute, then I got a call from my contractor telling me the floor-boards were completely uneven," says Ashley. "I had no idea what that meant, but it turns out that the floating floor I chose must be installed on a level surface, otherwise it would bow and possibly buckle."

To fix the floor, Ashley's contractor had to tear out 50 percent of the existing boards, replace them and add a leveling compound to ensure the entire surface of the attic was even. This set the project back three days and added an additional $850 in labor and materials.

With the uneven floors fixed, the walls were next. Ashley wanted to utilize the walls as an opportunity to add coastal-style architecture with whitewashed wood. At her contractor's recommendation, she used basic 1X6 pine planks installed horizontally, then hired a painter to wash the walls with white stain. This was a much more cost-effective alternative to hiring a professional millwork showroom to create them off-site, then install them pre finished. Altogether the whitewashed walls came to a total of $1,250 and took three days to complete.

"It was like a whitewash marathon up there," says Ashley. "One day I had dark ugly walls, the next day they were covered with beautiful new pine, and the next day I walked upstairs to a big, serene whitewashed surprise. Watching it morph in 72 hours was pretty awesome."

The new studio was also lightened by a pair of galvanized metal pendants. Ashley found them for $300 a pair from a big-box retailer. Not only did this create a much lighter and brighter environment for Ashley and her students, but it also added a bit more coastal flair to her desired aesthetic. "I didn't want my beach-inspired studio to sport giant seashells, lobsters and sailboats," says Ashley. "I wanted the opposite, something understated and really tranquil."

The texture and finish of the pendants mixed with the classic look of the whitewashed walls incorporated the coastal elements. Overall, Ashley enjoys the calm, coastal vibe that instantly invites people to relax. Aside from the pendants, lighting was also improved thanks to a new skylight. The skylight was installed in a single day and cost $1,000 for materials and labor.

A Yoga-Centric Studio Fit for Classes

Dark Wooden Planks

When Ashley purchased her Atlanta bungalow in 2008, she intended to turn its dark, wood-paneled attic into a yoga studio. In order to update it correctly, she'd need to replace the wood paneling with drywall, tear out the damaged wood floors and add natural light by replacing tiny dormer windows with a large 3x4 foot window and a custom skylight.

A Well-Balanced Space

In order utilize her attic space as a yoga studio, Ashley dedicated one side for instructing classes. To keep the top-floor area feeling serene and airy, she used a shade of blue for the walls, while yellow and turquoise add energy to the space through accents such as yoga mats.

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

Clutter-Free Consciousness

Yoga-centric spaces must be clean and minimal so that students can remain focused and clear-headed. In order to keep her essential yoga supplies nearby, neat and uncluttered, Ashley designed a cubby system with an integrated refrigerator for keeping bottled water chilled, and mats and towels organized.

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

Inspirational Accents

Graphic design is Ashley's main profession. To add her own designer touch to the space, she created a 2x4 foot piece of graphic art packed with inspirational words to encourage a feeling of calm and peacefulness, elements essential to a successful yoga workout.

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

Overcoming Challenges

The dark wood floating floors presented the most challenges. In its original condition, the space underfoot was made up of damaged hardwoods installed above uneven floor boards. It wasn't until her contractor started installation that he noticed a major dip on one side. Before installing the new dark wood floating floor, he had to replace 50% of the floor boards, then add leveling compound.

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

Whitewashed Walls

Ashley used most of the attic's wall space as an opportunity to add coastal-style architectural touches. To offset the darkness of her ebony floating wood floors, the contractor install 1x6 pine planks horizontally, and hired a painter to lighten them with a whitewashed effect.

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

Staying Centered

Originally, the wood-paneled stairwell leading up to Ashley's attic was extremely dark and dingy. To lighten it up, she used the same whitewashed horizontal pine used throughout the studio. Now the stairwell wall serves as the central divider between the area designated for yoga sessions and the space meant for desk work.

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

Love, Peace and Lighting

Ashley aimed to incorporate her love of coastal style into the yoga studio's design. To do this in a non-literal manner, she installed an industrial pendants made from galvanized metal indicative of lighting found on boardwalks and wharfs.

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

A Welcoming Environment

As students enter the yoga studio, they're greeted by a half-wall packed with fresh hand towels. Once sessions are finished, Ashley gathers up the used towels, tosses them in the laundry, then replenishes the wall supply with new ones.

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

A Place for Everyone

Since many of Ashley's students change into yoga attire at her house, she designated one side of the stairwell's half-wall to holding everything from purses to hats to gym bags.

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

A Desk Area for Extra Organization

Ashley uses a desk area of the space to read up on trends and new techniques. She opted for a classic, traditional desk with bases made of filing cabinets to keep the space clean and clutter-free.

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

Temperature Control

To keep the studio cool in the warmer Atlanta months, Ashley installed a modern, plug-in unit at the top of the new window. This alternative to central air conditioning was much more cost-effective, at $250.

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

Reconsidering the Skylight

Natural light was one of the most important elements in the yoga studio. Although Ashley's thrilled with the great amount of sun peeking through her new skylight, the window presents several challenges for the homeowner. "The skylight is causing areas of the wood floor to fade and it makes the space warm at certain times of the day," says Ashley.

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

A Passion for Yoga Poses

Thanks to a smart space plan, Ashley has plenty of room to instruct three to six students per session.

Photo By: Photographer: Christina Wedge

With Atlanta summers sometimes soaring past 105 degrees, conditioning the space comfortably for her students year round was important. Ashley found HVAC duct work too expensive for her proposed budget. Instead, she found a modern window unit that sat at the top of the window and looked more like a sleek surround sound speaker than a clunky eyesore. "The window unit is not as loud as the ones I remember seeing when I was little and it kind of disappears," says Ashley. "Most people don't even notice it's there, in a good way."

In the center of the attic sits a staircase. In its original state, it was intrusive, bulky and dark. To make it work, Ashley used the same whitewashed pine as the walls, and then used the sides as open storage for hand towels, purses and messenger bags.

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Yoga-centric spaces must be clean and minimal so that students can remain focused and clear-headed. Ashley designed a cubby system with an integrated refrigerator for keeping bottled water chilled, and mats and towels organized.

Photo by: Photographer: Christina Wedge

Photographer: Christina Wedge

Yoga-centric spaces must be clean and minimal so that students can remain focused and clear-headed. Ashley designed a cubby system with an integrated refrigerator for keeping bottled water chilled, and mats and towels organized.

"Yoga spaces need to be minimal and promote concentration," says Ashley. "I couldn't have my students just tossing their belongings in corners because it would be clutter we'd be staring at." By hanging fresh hand towels and personal belongings on the sides of the stairwell, everything stays out of sight from the instruction area.

Storage was important to the attic's redesign since Ashley stocks bottled water, towels and yoga mats which need to be neatly organized. To create custom storage affordably, she sketched an open cubby system with a small refrigerator built into the center, then handed it off to her contractor. This would allow one space to keep everything contained, within arm's reach and cooled. She stuck with basic paint-grade plywood and 1x2 MDF fascia, which was painted white to work consistently with the whitewashed pine walls throughout.

Once all permanently installed design elements were in place, Ashley solidified her floor plan design by designating one side of the attic for instructing up to six students, and the other side as desk space to read up on yoga trends. To keep the reading area neat and clutter-free, she opted for a desk with file cabinets to keep her certifications and student profiles neatly tucked away.

With the project complete, Ashley and her students are getting a lot of use out of the new studio. One thing she would reconsider in her upstairs remodel is the skylight. "While I love the natural light my skylight lets in, I wish I would've thought about how much warmer it makes the studio when the sun is directly overhead," says Ashley. "Sometimes I have to crank the air conditioner to full blast because it gets really hot."

Anytime friends ask Ashley about the experience of living through a top-floor remodel, she responds with the same yoga-centric word she often says to her students: Namaste.